Profile avatar
5thborderstate.bsky.social
Canadian historian of the American Civil War, author of The Fifth Border State: Slavery, Emancipation, and the Formation of West Virginia 1829-1872 (WVU Press, 2023), remover of mattress tags. Big #hatm fan.
2,605 posts 306 followers 289 following
Regular Contributor
Active Commenter
Posts 14 Comments 36

Final Thoughts: Oklahoma! is a superb musical if wildly inaccurate history lesson. The songs and dance numbers are amazing, performed by top actors and actresses, and beautifully shot in color. But it glaringly ignores what pre-statehood Indian Territory was like. #hatm

submitted 6 days ago • 2 comments

Yeah Oklahoma became the 45th state in 1907. It sure took a long time too. By that time it was surrounded by states. #hatm

submitted 6 days ago • 1 comment

And the movie rips off John Ford once again with that skyline at sunset shot. #hatm

submitted 6 days ago • 0 comments

So now they're selling brides. And the law is standing right there counting the money. #hatm

submitted 6 days ago • 2 comments

#hatm Farmers, Cowmen, and Merchants will run the new state of Oklahoma. Hmm, who isn't part of that equation?

submitted 6 days ago • 3 comments

So the Farmers and the Cowboys is the Jets vs. Sharks from West Side Story of this movie? #hatm

submitted 6 days ago • 0 comments

I never have dreams like this. Last night I dreamed up a new title for my latest article: I added one more word. It seems to work. I'll have to see what the editor says. If all goes well, it will come out early next year. I'll have two articles coming out in one year. Not bad. #hatm

submitted 6 days ago • 0 comments

#hatm dream musical = 1776. If only it would come to streaming.

submitted 6 days ago • 2 comments

Wow James Whitmore is in this playing Pa. Now there was a stalwart character actor throughout his long career. I remember him best from Battle Cry, as well as Give 'Em Hell, Harry. I only saw Shawshank once. #hatm

submitted 6 days ago • 1 comment

I wonder how many takes these musical numbers take. They have so many camera set ups. The cast are fine - the background singers and dancers never miss a step - but it must get repetitive after a while. #hatm

submitted 6 days ago • 0 comments

So all of a sudden, Oklahoma became Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (another excellent musical BTW). #hatm

submitted 6 days ago • 0 comments

Eddie Albert plays Ali Hakim (surely a pseudonym). In real life, he won the Navy Cross for rescuing Marines assaulting the small island of Tarawa in November 1943. Wow. #hatm

submitted 6 days ago • 1 comment

IMDB says that Gloria Grahame was tone deaf. The editors had to stitch together her musical numbers note by note from multiple takes. They did a great job. #hatm

submitted 6 days ago • 0 comments

Gloria Grahame was in It's A Wonderful Life and other famous movies, and won an Oscar for The Bad and the Beautiful, but never achieved lasting fame. #hatm

submitted 6 days ago • 0 comments